Pick your Notre Dame-specific storyline pertaining to Navy at will. There are at least three worth mentioning this year. The micro bit will focus on junior safety Alohi Gilman, now a season removed from his time with the Midshipmen and a starter for the Irish. The focused angle recognizes Notre Dame plays Navy after the Irish bye, preferable when facing the triple-option change of pace.

The macro view harps on the Academy moving the contest to San Diego. If anyone should have opted against that cross-country venture, it was actually Navy more than Notre Dame. Even though the Irish will go coast-to-coast-to-coast in the season’s final month, they have it easy compared to the Midshipmen. Navy starts the season in Hawaii, returns to the eastern coast within a week and then bounces back-and-forth between time zones before heading to southern California to face Notre Dame. After that? A return to the mid-Atlantic once more before a stop in the Bayou.

Realizing Navy never brings the Irish to Annapolis, Md., one does wonder why this was not a Baltimore or even Jacksonville year.

2017 REVIEWDespite finishing a middling 7-6, the Midshipmen nearly had an excellent season. Finishing 3-4 in one-possession games will leave those thoughts of missed opportunity lingering even after the offseason. The only reasons those regrets are not the defining thoughts of Navy’s 2017 are the late arrival of then-sophomore Malcolm Perry and how strongly both he and the defense played in a 49-7 Military Bowl victory against Virginia.

Perry began the year at slot back, a pivotal spot in the triple-option offense but not one as impactful as the quarterback, the position Perry was recruited for. When Zach Abey went down with a concussion, Perry moved to quarterback and both his and Abey’s careers changed.

Make no mistake: Abey was having a strong season. In 12 games, though really only 11 considering how little he took the field against Army, the then-junior ran for 1,413 yards and 19 touchdowns. Abey was just better once he got a chance, rushing for 282 yards and four touchdowns against SMU and 250 yards with one score against the Black Knights.

That loss to Army likely haunts the most in Navy memories. After two penalties pushed the Midshipmen backward on their final drive, a missed 48-yard field goal as time expired sealed Army’s 14-13 victory.

Following that defeat, the third in a three-game losing streak that began at Notre Dame, Navy exorcised some demons against the Cavaliers, allowing a mere 175 yards and no offensive touchdowns.

WHAT NAVY LOSTFullback Chris High is the biggest name here, having rushed for 621 yards and two touchdowns last season, but a number of other ground game contributors also finished up their collegiate careers. Eight Midshipmen rushed for at least 100 yards last year, and half of them are gone.

Obviously little regard is given Navy’s passing game, but when it is used, it is typically effective and efficient. That may shift this year, returning exactly zero receivers with game experience aside from Abey, now moving there to keep his playmaking involved.

Defensively, leading tackler Micah Thomas (81 tackles and three interceptions) left, as did three more of the top five tacklers, one from each level of the defense.

Both line coaches also departed: Offensive line coach Bryce McDonald went to UCLA and defensive line coach Shawn Nua joined Herman Edwards’ staff at Arizona State. That would be a concern at any program, but it may be especially so in one where the irregular trench techniques are so distinct.

WHAT NAVY GAINEDThis can be a bit tougher to define than for any other opponent. Such is the nature for a military academy and its different protocols involving recruitment, enrollment and roster size.

For now, know the Midshipmen have made an impressive science out of reloading. That will only be aided by spending an entire offseason working with Perry at quarterback. In order to emphasize that development, head coach Ken Niumatalolo pushed spring practice back a few weeks so Perry would have a bit more time to recover from offseason foot surgery.

HEAD COACHKen Niumatalolo nearly left Navy this offseason after a decade leading the triple-option offense. The prospect of bringing that pedigree led to a social media gripe from Arizona star quarterback Khalil Tate. Maybe that cost Niumatalolo the Wildcats gig; maybe it didn’t. The optics certainly indicated Tate’s public complaint at least had an effect.

It is also possible Niumatalolo would never have gone through with the move, but it warrants mentioning this is the second time in a few seasons Niumtalolo has considered leaving his only head coaching job to date. When BYU had a job opening following the 2015 season, Niumatalolo went through that interview process at length, as well.

With Malcolm Perry sidelined by an ankle injury, Zach Abey returned to the primary role in Navy’s triple-option offense in a 24-17 loss at Notre Dame, taking 29 carries for 87 yards and this touchdown. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

OFFENSIVE SUMMARYIn describing Perry as possibly the best rusher of Niumatalolo’s decade, one is not being held captive by a small sample size. Perry was quarterback for only a few games, but he played the entire season, finishing with 1,182 yards and 11 touchdowns on 138 attempts, averaging 8.6 yards per carry.

When applying such lauds to Perry, the likes of Keenan Reynolds and Ricky Dobbs have not been forgotten. In fact, they have been very much remembered.

Perry does need to develop something of an aerial threat. It is not that Abey was exactly a stellar one — throwing seven interceptions in only 72 attempts says otherwise and certainly did not help the Midshipmen in those one-possession games — but he had worked at it for a few years. Perry had not until this offseason.

Abey has moved to receiver, showing the faith Niumatalolo has in the senior’s athleticism.

DEFENSIVE SUMMARYAside from the defensive line, Navy has to replace quite a bit, returning only two starters in the back-seven. That front may be a decent one, though. Of late, the Midshipmen have taken to a more aggressive, blitzing scheme. Their sacks jumped from eight in 2014 to 22 in 2015, 20 in 2016 and 16 last year. While those numbers are nothing more than passable, they are still a marked improvement. Continuing that trend could help hide the young defensive backfield.

SEASON OUTLOOKBy traveling to Hawaii, Navy gets to add a 13th regular season game. The general reason for that NCAA accommodation is to compensate team’s for that excessive travel by granting them another chance to get bowl eligible. Otherwise, most mid-level programs would avoid the trip deep into the Pacific, hamstringing Hawaii’s abilities to schedule.

The Midshipmen should be eligible before finishing the season against Army, but that will not inherently be a sure thing. Bookmakers, as one metric, set their expectations at 7.5 wins for Navy, while the American Athletic Conference preseason media poll slotted the Midshipmen at third in their division, behind Memphis and Houston.

This is not to diminish the losses of receiver Miles Boykin and consensus first-team All-American cornerback Julian Love. Notre Dame will miss both of them, Love in particular. But looking at the Irish depth chart, there are avenues to survival without both.

Notre Dame will return two starting receivers in rising senior Chase Claypool and fifth-year-to-be Chris Finke (speaking of which, see below). A number of options exist to replace Love, though obviously none will match his shutdown abilities. Either rising sophomore TaRiq Bracy will put on the necessary muscle to compete with receivers at this level or rising senior Donte Vaughn will return reinvigorated with health after recent surgery to repair a torn labrum surgery or rising sophomore Houston Griffith will move from safety to get his talent on the field or fifth-year Shaun Crawford will recover from an ACL tear quicker than expected or … or … or … If one of those pans out, the Irish defense should be comfortable in its coverage, buoyed by the stalwart safety combination of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. (Imagine sincerely saying “stalwart safety combination” just six months ago.)

Look again at the depth chart, and such luxuries do not exist at defensive end. If rising seniors Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara had not opted to return, Notre Dame’s 2019 dreams would have hit a lowered ceiling nine months before the season began. By no means were they certain high-round draft picks, but the allure of athletic and talented defensive ends may have easily led to some outsized draft hopes.

Their backups are certainly more than capable — rising seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji — but a talented second-unit is as important at defensive end as dangerous starters are. To replace the latter with the former is to diminish the entire enterprise outright.

The Irish could not have recovered from losing both Kareem and Okwara, at least not to the extent where Playoff talk would be viable again. Lose one and it would have still been dubious, at best.

Take a look at the teams expected to be in the mix for the Playoff. Using current championship odds … Clemson at 2-to-1, Alabama at just less than 3-to-1, Georgia at 6-to-1, Ohio State at 8-to-1, Michigan at 16-to-1 and then Oklahoma also at 16-to-1. Those first five have been known for their defenses more than anything else in recent years. Bookmakers put some faith in their ability to reload on the fly.

Notre Dame has not earned that trust, and its roster does not indicate it should have. As well as Justin Ademilola performed as a freshman in four games, inserting him into a pivotal role in 2019 would likely be a recipe for a mediocre season. He is another year of development away from being ready for that role, barring a Matt Balis-induced excellent offseason.

The Irish will need Kareem and Okwara to survive the losses of defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, but if they play as they did in 2018, that is a reasonable ask. If they continue to develop, it becomes a probability more than a Notre Dame leap of faith.

The Irish will miss Boykin’s back-shoulder reliability and everything about Love, but Brian Kelly and his coaching staff coaxed back the two most-pivotal pieces from NFL draft consideration.

Speaking of Finke, he confirmed his intent to return for his final year of eligibility Thursday evening. And he did it in a way only befitting a man comfortable in his own skin.

With the Wednesday announcement of current junior linebacker D.J. Morgan’s intention to transfer this summer as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, Notre Dame’s roster drops to 87 scholarship players expected this coming fall. Included among them, at least 12, possibly 14 linebackers. Before explaining that …

Morgan finishes his Irish career with two tackles in two 2017 appearances as a safety. He moved to linebacker during 2018’s spring practices, but never came particularly close to playing time. It remained difficult to see him cracking into the rotation moving forward given the quality of recruiting classes at the position in the last two cycles.

“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for everything they have done for me,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “When I decided to come here, my main goal was to get my degree from this prestigious University, and I am proud to see that I will be completing that goal this summer!

“During this time I will be searching for a new school to attend as a graduate transfer to finish off my last 2 years of eligibility.”

(@deundraymorgan)

Before facing Louisville on Labor Day, the Irish will need to be down to 85 scholarship players. At 87 now, that does not include incoming freshman J.D. Bertrand, who had a recruitment handled in a deliberate fashion so as to make him eligible for an academic scholarship. Notre Dame also continues to chase two defenders — consensus four-star linebacker Asa Turner and consensus four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey — who could balloon the roster count further.

Lacey will need to be ready for at least four games next season, especially with three of these six returning from injury: Tagovailoa-Amosa with a broken foot, though he did at least take some snaps against Clemson; Franklin from a torn quad that will limit him through the spring; and Spears from a torn ACL that could conceivably cost him 2019.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush will continue his career at Central Florida. Wimbush announced his graduate transfer destination Tuesday morning.

“The journey continues on …,” Wimbush wrote on Instagram. “A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not (sic) describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.

“With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University.”

Wimbush will enter into a starting opportunity, although an unfortunate one and a competitive one. The late November horrendous knee injury to three-year starter McKenzie Milton will almost-assuredly sideline him through the 2019 season. If not for the injury, Milton would either be starting 2019 for the Knights or headed to the NFL.

In his first year of any action, sophomore Darriel Mack played in 10 games for Central Florida, completing 51 of his 100 pass attempts for 619 yards and three touchdowns, including going 35-of-71 for 526 yards and three scores in the two-plus games Milton missed.

Wimbush finishes his Irish career with a 13-3 record as a starter, including four wins during 2018’s unbeaten regular season. After the Notre Dame offense failed to break 24 points in the first three games of the season, offensive coordinator Chip Long turned to Ian Book for a spark, one Book provided and then some.

Wimbush’s role became non-existent after that, aside from a Senior Day start in place of an injured Book, throwing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards.

Mustipher and Co. will now have reason to keep an eye on the Knights in 2019. After going 25-1 in the last two seasons, Central Florida will want to keep the momentum rolling, particularly with Stanford arriving in Orlando on Sept. 14, a week before the Knights head to Pittsburgh. The Knights genuinely entering the College Football Playoff conversation remains unlikely, but topping those two before rolling through the American Athletic Conference would at least start the discussion, especially if a former Irish quarterback headlines the way.

Named 2018’s Next Man In, Wimbush finishes his Irish career with 2,606 yards on 193-of-382 passing with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 additional touchdowns.

AS FOR NOTRE DAME’S QB IN 2019 …Early Heisman odds came from an online sportsbook Tuesday, betonline.ag. Irish rising senior Ian Book was given 16-to-1 odds, tied for ninth on the listing. Given the names ahead of him, Book’s realistic chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are slim. Only Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have odds lower than 12-to-1, at 7-to-2 and 4-to-1, respectively.

Then come two Notre Dame opponents — Georgia running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, both at 12-to-1. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson checks in at 25-to-1, just ahead of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello at 33-to-1.

If nothing else, Book can count on some early-season hype if the Irish top Swift and Fromm on Sept. 21.

Dabo Swinney paid tribute to the late Tyler Trent in his speech while Clemson visited the White House 🙏

A sign of a strong program is one that loses players to the NFL before they exhaust eligibility. In that vein, Notre Dame lost a consensus first-team All-American cornerback, its leading receiver and a long-time tease of a tight end. The last of those (Alizé Mack) was never expected back for a fifth season; replacing Miles Boykin’s production is certainly within reason; and a consensus first-team All-American should be expected to take the route junior Julian Love has.

Even with that expectation, losing Love — and to a lesser extent, Boykin — alters the natural roster cycle, the inherent design intended during recruiting. Reloading is always the hope, the next intention, but very rarely is the young backup comparable to the near professional, even by the end of the coming season.

Nonetheless, the Irish got off easy this cycle compared to four of their 2019 opponents …

GEORGIA: Junior running back Elijah Holyfield, the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher, departs after gaining 1,018 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry this season. Frankly, that is the least of Georgia’s losses. Three of quarterback Jake Fromm’s four favorite targets will leave eligibility on the figurative table:

Without running back Karan Higdon, Michigan will presumably rely on its passing game more in 2019, quarterback Shea Patterson’s second season as a Wolverine. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

MICHIGAN: The Wolverines got good news when quarterback Shea Patterson opted to return for 2019, but losing leading-rusher Karan Higdon (1,178 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.3 average) will be an issue head coach Jim Harbaugh undoubtedly hoped to avoid. Junior tight end Zach Gentry, Patterson’s third-most prolific target with 32 catches for 514 yards and two scores, will also head to the next level.

On the flip side, Harbaugh could have hoped linebacker Devin Bush (team-leading 80 tackles with 9.5 for loss including five sacks), defensive end Rashan Gary (44 tackles with seven for loss including 3.5 sacks) or linebacker David Long (17 tackles with one interception) might return, but no such luck for Michigan.

Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones will head to the NFL after his third season as a starter, immediately lowering the Blue Devils’ 2019 expectations. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

DUKE: Junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris paced the Blue Devils with 81 tackles, including seven for loss with one sack, doing so in only nine games. But losing Giles-Harris is hardly the concern for Duke. The decision to turn pro from quarterback Daniel Jones is.

In his third year as a starter, the junior fought through a broken collarbone to still play in 11 games in 2018, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He added 319 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Jones’ decision may come as a surprise, but it is one that should work out well for both him and Notre Dame. Some mock drafts project him as a top-10 pick. In a draft light on quarterbacks — partly because Oregon’s Justin Herbert returned for another season, yet already somewhat counteracted by the Monday draft entry from Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray — Jones could end up being the third or fourth passer picked.

BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles will say farewell to junior cornerback Hemp Cheevers after he notched seven interceptions this season, returning one for a touchdown, to go along with 39 tackles.

STANFORD: This will seem like the Cardinal lost a lot to the NFL draft, but it could have been worse: As the departures mounted, so did speculation junior quarterback K.J. Costello might follow them. He opted not to.

Stanford will be without running back Bryce Love after his prodigious two seasons as the starter. Consider that a loss akin to the Irish Love, the inevitable price of enjoying the success in the first place.

Junior receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will capitalize on his breakout season of 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns, depriving Costello of his favorite jump-ball threat.

Junior tight end Kaden Smith will also head to the next level, in large part thanks to his 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

Louisville, New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech and Navy all did not lose anyone early or pseudo-early to the NFL draft.